Holder for beverage containers

ABSTRACT

A beverage container holder is able to hold mugs and stemmed glasses in the same space at different times, the holder  21  is mounted on a rail  22  using clamp assemblies  23  and  24  at each end. The holder may be tilted away for storage in a plane extending downward from the rail and brought up to a generally horizontal position for use. A cup  25  is positioned in a first drop down passageway  26  and a stemmed glass  27  is positioned in a second drop down passageway  28 . The glass entry position is shown in phantom at  29 . The respective stem entry passageways are shown at  30  and  31 . The upper end  32  of the passageways  30  and  31  is made wide enough so that the bottom part of a handle  33  of a mug may be located as shown.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to a holder for beverage containers and in particular but not limited to a dual purpose holder suitable for holding cups and stemmed glasses in the same space at different times in an unstable environment as might arise at sea or while boating.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A common problem arises where beverage containers are placed on an unstable surface. Examples include circumstances involving air, land and sea vehicles where movement causes containers to slide and/or tip over. Glasses are broken and beverages are spilled.

Beverage containers include cans, mugs, glasses and the like. Holders for beverage containers are common in the prior art. Examination of the patent literature demonstrates that the art of holders for beverage containers is a highly developed art with enormous variation although the vast majority share the common feature of some form of recess. The container sits in the recess. While the prior art is replete with enormous variation in inventive combinations the present invention represents a new combination not taught or suggested by the prior art either individually or in combination. Examples of prior art include following U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,315,153; 6,543,637; 6,059,138; 4,607,758; 5,397,089; 5,361,939; 6,021,914; and 5,542,577 all of which describe container holders enabling a guest to hold a plate with a glass held on the plate in order to free the guests other hand. Container holders for use in or on vehicles commonly comprise a recess and something to grip the container. It might be a retractable grip or a resilient gripper. Examples of container holders for use in vehicles are in Australian patents 767401 and WO02/070331 and WO 02/31417.

In view of the above it is an object of the present invention to provide a cup holder that at least provides the public with a useful alternative to the prior art holders and, more particularly, prevents sliding and inhibits tipping in the case of stemmed glasses in a mobile environment as might arise in a vehicle including water borne vessel.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION

In one preferred form therefore, the present invention resides in a beverage container holder, suitable for receiving and holding a stemmed glass containing beverage, the holder comprising a holder body having a narrow stem side entry passageway, a glass drop down passageway communicating with the side entry passageway and a glass seat, the glass seat having a stem up/down passageway, the configuration, relative dimensions and relative positions of the passageways and seat enabling the stem of the stemmed glass containing beverage, to pass laterally through the stem entry passageway, thereafter into the drop down passageway and then drop down onto the seat with part of the stem in the up/down passageway and without spilling the beverage. The glass is removed from the holder in the reverse direction.

Preferably the drop down passageway is dimensioned so as to be “universal” catering for common beverage containers of the hand-held type and generally of a cylindrical shape as well as stemmed glasses. In this case, the drop down passageway is defined by an upper means above the seat constraining or limiting sideways movement of a cylindrical container. Preferably, the drop down passageway is of uniform section having a top entry and a side wall so that cylindrical containers may drop down onto a seat for cylindrical containers.

The preceding description refers to a stemmed glass seat and to a cylindrical container seat. These seats may be the same part of the holder or may be separate seats located generally in the same region of the holder. Consequently, the two seats may be part of a base, the cylindrical container seat preferably being an annular surface disposed around the stem up/down passageway which itself comprises a hole slightly wider than common glass stems and being located in the centre of the annular cylindrical container seat. In this embodiment the glass seat comprises the upper periphery of the hole.

The stemmed glass seat may comprise a contoured or recessed upper portion of the hole so that a portion of the glass just above the top of the stem is supported over a surface of the glass. This portion or recess may have annular rings matching common shapes of common stemmed glasses so that the glass is seated and supported around a region just above the junction of the stem and the body of the glass.

The stem entry passageway has an upper end which preferably is wide enough at its upper end to cater for handles of mugs or the like so that the handles protrude into the upper end thereof while mugs or the like are held in the holder.

Preferably, the holder includes mounting means so that the holder may be moved to a storage position when not in use.

Typically, the holder has a front and a back and is adapted to hold multiple beverage containers and comprises an upper section and a base section, the upper section having spaced container holes with stem entry passageways extending from the holes to the front, the base section having stem up/down passageways located below the holes. Preferably, the upper section and the base section being separated by a space so that containers seated on the base may be viewed through the space. Preferably the back of the holder has mounting means enabling the holder to be secured to a support.

In one preferred embodiment the invention comprises a multi purpose beverage container holder having spaced recesses each being suitable for receiving and holding a beverage container selected from the following; a stemmed glass, a non-stemmed glass or a cup with a handle in the same space at different times, the selected container containing beverage, the holder comprising a holder body having a front and a back, the back having a mounting so the holder may be secured to a support, each recess having a narrow stem side entry passageway, a container drop down passageway communicating with the side entry passageway and a container seat, the container seat having a stem up/down passageway, the configuration, relative dimensions and relative positions of the passageways and seat enabling the stem of a stemmed glass containing beverage, to pass laterally through the stem entry passageway, thereafter into the drop down passageway and then drop down onto the seat with part of the stem in the up/down passageway and without spilling the beverage, the drop down passageway being defined by an upper means-above the seat preventing tipping movement of a non-stemmed container held in the recess instead of the stemmed glass and the stem entry passageway being wide enough to pass a handle of a cup when a cup with a handle is held in the recess, the seat having an annular seat section surrounding the stem up/down passageway so a stemmed glass may be seated on the annular seat section along a corresponding annular region around the stem of the glass.

A beverage container holder able to hold separate containers in spaced apart recesses, at least one recess being able to receive and hold a stemmed glass or a non-stemmed glass in the same space at different times, the glasses containing beverage, the holder comprising a holder body having a front and a back, the back having a mounting so the holder may be secured to a support, the at least one recess having a narrow stem side entry passageway leading from the front toward the back, a glass drop down passageway communicating with the side entry passageway and a glass seat, the glass seat having a stem up/down passageway, the configuration, relative dimensions and relative positions of the passageways and seat enabling the stem of the stemmed glass containing beverage, to pass laterally through the stem entry passageway, thereafter into the drop down passageway and then drop down onto the seat with part of the stem in the up/down passageway and without spilling the beverage, the drop down passageway being defined by an upper means above the seat constraining sideways movement of a non-stemmed glass held in the holder instead of the stemmed glass.

In one particularly preferred form the holder has a swivel mounting so that it may extend horizontally when in use and swing to a vertical storage position when not in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood and be put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein:—

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating the travel of a stemmed glass into a holder according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2 to 4 are orthographic views of a first preferred embodiment; and

FIGS. 5 to 7 are orthographic views of a second preferred embodiment.

METHOD OF PERFORMANCE

Referring to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 there is illustrated the travel of a stemmed glass as it moves through the various passages into its seated position in the holder. The glass is removed by the reverse travel. In FIG. 1 there is illustrated a wine glass 10 aligned for entry into the stem entry passageway represented by the arrow 11, once the glass has passed through the stem entry passageway it is in the position shown in phantom at 12. The drop down passageway is represented by the arrow 13 and the final resting position of the glass is shown in solid outline at 14 seated on the seat 15.

The holder takes advantage of the base, stem and body shape of the stemmed glass with the limit to the depth of the stem entry passageway being imposed by the length of the stem. The overall depth may be selected so that a range of stem lengths may be catered for.

The seat has a curved surface 16 matched to the lower section 17 of the glass 10. Clearly the holder can be of any shape, in its most preferred form the holder has a side wall extending up from the base to inhibit tipping and extending around the glass in the region 18. The side wall is not shown in FIG. 1. The holder could be made of block material or could be a simple plastic coated wire form or any other form able to function as described.

The seat has a stem up/down passageway at 19 and the annular surrounding surface 20 to that passageway is used as a seat for mugs and cups that simply drop straight down onto the surface 20 and are blocked against sideways movement by a wall or other means disposed at the region 18 as described above.

The dimensions are all chosen to give the most flexibility in catering for common cup, can and glass sizes while inhibiting sliding and tipping.

The embodiments illustrated in relation to FIGS. 2 to 7 illustrate two preferred applications of the holder arrangement described functionally in relation to FIG. 1. In each case, the holders are made from two parallel timber sections and are dual purpose being adapted to hold stemmed glasses and cylindrical beverage containers in the same space at different times. This is clearly illustrated in the drawings.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate a holder 21 mounted on a rail 22 using clamp assemblies 23 and 24 at each end. Thus the holder may be tilted away for storage in a plane extending downward from the rail and brought up to a generally horizontal position for use. A cup 25 is positioned in a first drop down passageway 26 and a stemmed glass 27 is positioned in a second drop down passageway 28. The glass entry position is shown in phantom at 29. The respective stem entry passageways are shown at 30 and 31. The upper end 32 of the passageways 30 and 31 is made wide enough so that the bottom part of a handle 33 of a mug may be located as shown.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a six glass unit each having passageways and seats as illustrated in the embodiment of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. Like numerals illustrate like features. The curved surface 16 is effectively countersunk into the stem up/down passage way and is preferably multiple annular curved surfaces so that variations in common stemmed glass shapes may be accommodated.

While two timber sections are employed in parallel any arrangement or material may be used.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as set out in the accompanying claims. 

1. A beverage container holder, suitable for receiving and holding a stemmed glass containing beverage, the holder comprising a holder body having a narrow stem side entry passageway, a glass drop down passageway communicating with the side entry passageway and a glass seat, the glass seat having a stem up/down passageway, the configuration, relative dimensions and relative positions of the passageways and seat enabling the stem of the stemmed glass containing beverage, to travel laterally through the stem entry passageway, thereafter into the drop down passageway and then drop down onto the seat with part of the stem in the up/down passageway and without spilling the beverage, the glass being removable from the holder in the reverse travel.
 2. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the drop down passageway is dimensioned so as to be “universal” catering for common beverage containers of the hand-held type and generally of a cylindrical shape as well as stemmed glasses.
 3. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the drop down passageway is defined by an upper means above the seat constraining sideways movement of a cylindrical container.
 4. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the drop down passageway is of uniform section having a top entry and a side wall so that cylindrical containers may drop down onto a seat for cylindrical containers the seat for cylindrical containers surrounding the seat for stemmed glasses.
 5. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the drop down passageway is of uniform section having a top entry and a side wall so that cylindrical containers may drop down onto a seat for cylindrical containers the seat for cylindrical containers surrounding the seat for stemmed glasses, the two seats being part of a base, the cylindrical container seat being an annular surface disposed around the stem up/down passageway, the stem up/down passageway comprises a hole slightly wider than common glass stems and being located in the centre of the annular cylindrical container seat, the hole in the base being curved at its upper periphery, the glass seat comprising the upper periphery of the hole.
 6. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the stemmed glass seat comprises a countersunk upper portion of the stem up/down passageway so that a portion of the glass just above the stem is supported in the countersunk portion.
 7. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the stemmed glass seat comprises a countersunk upper portion of the stem up/down passageway so that a portion of the glass just above the stem is supported in the countersunk portion, the countersunk portion being stepped so that glasses matching one of the steps in shape may be seated and supported around a region just above the juncture of the stem and the body of the glass.
 8. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the stem entry passageway has an upper end which is wide enough at its upper end to cater for handles of mugs so that the handle of a mug protrudes into the upper end thereof while the mug is held in the holder.
 9. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder includes mounting means so that the holder may be moved to a storage position when not in use.
 10. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder has a front and a back and is adapted to hold multiple beverage containers and comprises an upper section and a base section, the upper section having spaced container holes with stem entry passageways extending from the holes to the front, the base section having stem up/down passageways located below the holes.
 11. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder has a front and a back and is adapted to hold multiple beverage containers and comprises an upper section and a base section, the upper section having spaced container holes with stem entry passageways extending from the holes to the front, the base section having stem up/down passageways located below the holes, the upper section and the base section being separated by a space so that containers seated on the base may be viewed through the space.
 12. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder has a front and a back and is adapted to hold multiple beverage containers and comprises an upper section and a base section, the upper section having spaced container holes with stem entry passageways extending from the holes to the front, the base section having stem up/down passageways located below the holes, the upper section and the base section being separated by a space so that containers seated on the base may be viewed through the space, the back of the holder having mounting means enabling the holder to be secured to a support.
 13. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder has a front and a back, the stem entry passageway extending from the front to the back and the holder having a swivel mounting at the back so that the holder may extend horizontally when in use and swing to a vertical storage position when not in use.
 14. A beverage container holder according to claim 1 wherein the holder is multi purpose beverage container holder having spaced recesses each being suitable for receiving and holding a beverage container selected from the following; a stemmed glass, a non-stemmed glass or a cup with a handle in the same space at different times, the selected container containing beverage, the holder comprising a holder body having a front and a back, the back having a mounting so the holder may be secured to a support, each recess having a narrow stem side entry passageway, a container drop down passageway communicating with the side entry passageway and a container seat, the container seat having a stem up/down passageway, the configuration, relative dimensions and relative positions of the passageways and seat enabling the stem of a stemmed glass containing beverage, to pass laterally through the stem entry passageway, thereafter into the drop down passageway and then drop down onto the seat with part of the stem in the up/down passageway and without spilling the beverage, the drop down passageway being defined by an upper means above the seat preventing tipping movement of a non-stemmed container held in the recess instead of the stemmed glass and the stem entry passageway being wide enough to pass a handle of a cup when a cup with a handle is held in the recess, the seat having an annular seat section surrounding the stem up/down passageway so a stemmed glass may be seated on the annular seat section along a corresponding annular region around the stem of the glass.
 15. A beverage container holder able to hold separate containers in spaced apart recesses, at least one recess being able to receive and hold a stemmed glass or a non-stemmed glass in the same space at different times, the glasses containing beverage, the holder comprising a holder body having a front and a back, the back having a mounting so the holder may be secured to a support, the at least one recess having a narrow stem side entry passageway leading from the front toward the back, a glass drop down passageway communicating with the side entry passageway and a glass seat, the glass seat having a stem up/down passageway, the configuration, relative dimensions and relative positions of the passageways and seat enabling the stem of the stemmed glass containing beverage, to pass laterally through the stem entry passageway, thereafter into the drop down passageway and then drop down onto the seat with part of the stem in the up/down passageway and without spilling the beverage, the drop down passageway being defined by an upper means above the seat constraining sideways movement of a non-stemmed glass held in the holder instead of the stemmed glass. 